You Paid For It: 'Forever Chemical' contaminates Village of Hoosick Falls
HOOSICK FALLS, NY (WRGB) There have been many delays for the people of Hoosick Falls, it took more than a year for the state to warn residents of the dangers.
That's right, the state studied it for more than a year, and never breathed a word about the dangers to residents for that year.
And the drinking water quality council studying contamination levels cancelled a long-anticipated meeting early last year and then didn't hold another one for months.
And now this charge of more delays from the New York Public Interest Research Group and other environmental advocates.
In September 2016 State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos wrote a letter to the federal EPA, demanding the feds require testing of all public water systems for potentially dangerous emerging contaminants, not just those systems serving ten thousand or more customers, as has been the case.
The letter clearly states if the feds don't act, the state will.
1055 days later, the state says it has tested some, but not all of those systems.
MORE: For decades one New York town has battled a toxic chemical in the water
In March 2017 the state legislature approves the 2017-18 budget. It includes public health section 1112, requiring the State Health Department to identify emerging contaminants and test for them.
850 days later, complaints from a public watchdog group that the state hasn't done enough.
So with a law on the books for two years now, is the state doing enough? We took that question directly to Deputy Health Commissioner Brad Hutton, who tells us, that the DEC and DOH have actually been testing and that the highest risk systems have been tested.
But those tests have been primarily for PFOA and PFOS, known contaminants. Hutton says the state is working with the drinking water quality council and others to update the list of emerging contaminants.
In the meantime, for the people of Hoosick Falls, who are still dealing with water contamination issues, still waiting for more answers and more help, any kind of delay is frustrating.
